Philippines (the)

Country Area : 300,000 km2

Forested Area (1000 ha) : 8,040

UN-REDD Programme Partner Country : Yes

Type of UN-REDD Programme Support Received : National Programme, Targeted support

FCPF Member : No

Active FCPF Grant Holder: No

Readiness Grant Holder: No

Carbon Fund: No

Total forestlands area in the Philippines is 15.8 million ha, or 53% of the total land area, which comprises of open, closed, mangroves and plantations. The combined effects of indiscriminate logging, inadequate forest protection, expansion of upland agriculture, fires, pests and diseases, and unplanned land conversion are cited as the main causes of forest depletion. The degradation of the upland environment has resulted in low productivity, underutilized land and slow diversification in the agricultural sector, as well as reduced forest product flows, increasing poverty levels.

The UN-REDD Philippines Initial National Programme started in the middle of October 2011, and the operational of Philippines UN-REDD Programme was closed in July 2013. The Philippines National REDD+ Strategy was approved by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources Executive Committee in August 2010. Throughout 2012, the UN-REDD Programme focused on strengthening participatory processes, social and environmental safeguards, a harmonized methodology for reference baselines and the establishment of a national MRV approach.

Progress against the Warsaw Framework for REDD+

Complementary to the achievements of the NP (completed in 2013), Philippines received targeted support on REDD+ corruption risks, REDD+ Safeguards information and NFMS. Specific achievements in 2015 include:

National REDD+ Strategy/Action PlanInitial targeted support resulted in a REDD+ Corruption Risk Assessment in REDD+ implementation by the Philippines’ Ateneo School of Government, guided by the Forest Management Bureau. The study pointed to strategic priority areas for intervention to tackle REDD+ corruption risks. The analysis used nationally-contextualized analytical frameworks of the National REDD+ Strategy and the Integrity Development Review (IDR) under the Office of the Ombudsman. Gender disaggregated data allowed for the different perceptions and experiences of women and men in the forest sector.

National Forest Monitoring System (NFMS)In 2015, targeted support was approved and is in preparation phase for the development of an Action Plan for the implementation of a NFMS addressing the country’s needs for forest resources monitoring. The targeted support will build on achievements of the NP, particularly on capacity development activities related to the countries GHG-I, SLMS and NFI.

Safeguards and Safeguards Information System (SIS)Local capacity to participate in the national safeguards process was supported through a capacity building programme.

Corruption risks addressed. Contribute to the initial REDD-Plus Strategy by supporting activities that will help identify and characterize corruption risks related to REDD-Plus and consequently identify mechanisms that will mitigate, if not totally eliminate, and then manage the identified corruption risks.

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Timeline

Financial Information

Work Area (SNA Outcome)

2

Date of Request

15.06.2015

Date of Approval

09.07.2015

Implementation Period (Months)

7

Status

Completed

Amount Requested

US$ 0

Amount Approved

US$ 100,000

UN Agency Providing Support

FAO

MRV and Monitoring

Timeline:

Lead National Institution: Department of Environment and Natural Resources

Description:

NFMS Action Plan that addresses the Philippines’ needs for forest resources monitoring, including the monitoring of REDD+ policies and measures, and the reporting commitments at national as well as international level.

1. NFMS and its monitoring and MRV functions for REDD+ and other concerns described.

2. Data availability and requirements of each NFMS pillar assessed.

3. Current data infrastructure and how it should be enhanced to support the information system of the NFMS described.

4. Current and potential sources of data, including field data, satellite and other remote sensing data assessed.

5. Capacity for the implementation of the NFMS assessed.

6. Tools for data collection, management, and sharing described.

7. Quality Assessment and Quality Control of data collected;

8. Institutional and organizational arrangements with roles and responsibilities of agencies concerned with the NFMS.